Speech, Persuasion, and New MediaIn order to effect change in the world, individuals and organizations must convince others of the need to change. In this course, students will be introduced to persuasive communication. Methods of evaluating and responding to arguments will be covered. Students will learn the fundamentals of effective speech and presentations, including the use of multimedia and new media technologies. Exemplary speeches from diverse topics and time periods will be examined, from Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” to modern TED Talks. The course will culminate with students giving a presentation to an audience or engaging in a moderated debate. Lab fee: $40 (4 credits) Prerequisites: STC 108, taken during students’ first semester

Information and Inspiration for Action and Achievement
All writing relies on the power of the word to inform, stimulate and inspire. Each word has its own unique quality; when used in conjunction with other words and images, powerful messages are created that are used to influence the audience in many different ways. It is important for a writer to understand the power of words to communicate the most fundamental human experience, the experience of the Self and different states of consciousness. Language is the tool by which knowledge is passed on to others. The course encourages the use of language to communicate experience and knowledge in a clear and coherent form. The writer also needs to learn the craft of using words and language to shape a message for the media they are working in. The course starts with an investigation of how sound emerges from silence. From here we then study the relationship between sound and form; how language is used to describe the different elements, moods, understanding and emotions that each of us experience. The course then progresses to a study of the power of words as used in narrative, both fiction and non-fiction, journalism, audio-visual communication and advertising, with particular focus on new media. The course will draw on the rich pool of literary talent associated with the Fairfield community, with visiting lectures and online webinars with successful professionals from all areas of writing and publishing. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

Nothing Exists in Isolation
In this course, students will learn to harness the power of media marketing in the Internet age by using social sites–such as YouTube, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn–for their current, future or imagined businesses. Students will learn key marketing and branding concepts, and gain hands-on experience with visual marketing and modern content marketing. Topics of exploration include: attraction-based marketing vs. push-based marketing; organizing followers and friends; the visual marketing creation process using, for example, large images and infographics; ecommerce tools for each social site; developing a social media marketing strategy. Expert guest speakers will visit the class in person and through video conferencing. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: basic computer skills (word processing, e-mail, Web surfing)

Harnessing the Power of Creativity and Digital Media to Build a Better World
Students focus on principles of design and foundational digital media technology skills that can be useful to sustainable living students, or to anyone. Students develop their skills by exploring fundamentals of digital photography, digital imaging and graphic design, presentation software, digital video, and Web design. They apply their skills in real-world media projects related to sustainable living, to create presentations, posters, newspaper ads, simple Web sites, and digital video for DVD and for the Web. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: basic computer skills (word processing, e-mail, Web surfing)

Connecting in the Global Village
The course introduces students to the most recent and up-to-date social media marketing concepts and tools. Students will learn how to strategically utilize social media tools such as blogs, microblogs (Twitter), podcasts, vodcasts, video, e-mail and networking sites to engage with a desired audience. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisites: basic computer skills

Understanding and Applying the Aesthetics of Motion Pictures and the Technologies of Digital Video to Transform the World with a Vision of Unbounded Possibilities
Students learn the basic skills of video production by participating in the production of a variety of different scenes and subjects. They will learn to handle and care for production apparatus including lights, cameras, and sound equipment, and will learn the different roles to be played in the process of shooting a video, including director, director of photography, gaffer, grip, electrician, art department, assistant directors, and production assistants. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

Utilizing Digital Tools for Capturing, Cutting, Sequencing, and Compositing Sound and Image to Create Artistic Wholeness
Video editing requires the student to be able to synthesize all the different elements of their video into a greater whole. The emphasis of this course is on exploring the craft of editing and the techniques used to maximize the emotional impact of the story. Students will study examples of work by accomplished editors and discover ways to build momentum and render the cut ‘invisible’. Topics include: the language of the cut, the 180 degree system, and Murch’s Rule of Six. Students will become expert in utilizing nonlinear editing tools through daily editing assignments. Using the latest version of Final Cut Pro X, students will learn keyboard shortcuts and advanced trimming tools, transitions, filters, titles, keyframes, compositing tools, audio mixing, color correction, capturing and outputting. Towards the end of the course some production time will be allotted so that students may edit a final piece of their own. Students may also bring in footage that was shot previously for their final project. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MC 282

Developing Advanced Teamwork and Technical Skills to Produce Creative Visual Express
Building on the experiences from MC 282 Video Production, this course is a further exploration of team dynamics and technical skills in the film industry. Returning to the production studio, students study shot composition, camera use, lighting effects, green screen and special effects, fight choreography and stunts, as well as practice the essential skills of Directing, Art Department, Grip and Electric, and Sound. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MC 282

Capturing Expressions Of Consciousness With The Digital Lens
Students in this course will gain knowledge and technical skills to produce a short stop motion film. They will learn cinematic processes and techniques used to makes static objects appear as if they are moving. Students will practice the fundamentals in all three stages of creating a film: preproduction (storyboarding, timing, sets and characters), production (camera setup, software, lighting, and animation techniques), and postproduction (importing footage, adjusting timing, and removing unwanted frames). Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

Unbounded Frontiers of Electronic Publishing
New frontiers in digital technology are generating new mediums and distribution formats for entertainment and information resources. In this course, we will examine the new emedia formats for fiction writing, and what they mean for the professional career. In particular, we will focus on the practical skills: how to structure, create, sell, and market, your writing in the new world of the e-book. In doing so, we will look at the economics of the publishing world, past, present and future, and what they mean in practical terms for our own work. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

Unifying and Unfolding the Full Range of Human Experience
This course examines the essential role of narrative in the creation of all forms of media. From the very beginnings of human records, whether it is mythology, scripture, literature, or the earliest cave paintings, the creators of these works have always told their audience a story or imparted a message by the use of narrative. In order to work in any creative medium, understanding the various ways in which narrative is used is a great advantage. This course will examine the range of narrative forms and narrative devices that have been used since the dawn of time right up until the modern day. We will discover that although the forms and types of media used might have changed as technology has advanced, in fact, most of the essential forms of narrative used in creative works have been with us for ages. Understanding why will reveal how narrative reflects both the universal and unique aspects of the experience of human life. As part of the course students will be required to undertake projects that aid the development of their own narrative skills. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

Developing the Means to Explore Human Life in All its Diversity and Underlying Unity
Documentary films have their basis in the real world. They are made for a variety of purposes but fundamentally they explore the entire range of human experience. This course will examine the role of documentary filmmaking and all the various forms of the documentary. It will be a fascinating journey that will take students all over the globe and throughout history dealing with a wide range of issues both past and present. In this course, students will also examine how to make a documentary. It is therefore very practical in its focus. The first requirement to any documentary is knowing what the story is and what kind of story makes a good documentary. Having chosen a story, there is then the realization of it. This course will teach students the process of securing a commission from a TV channel or potential funder. Students will learn what is required to make the all-important pitch. They will then choose some stories and make short documentaries about them. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisites: MC 300, MC 282, and MC 284

Connecting to Deeper Values of Life through the Power of Integrated Images, Sound, and Composition
This course explores a more intuitive and experimental approach to filmmaking. In MC 300 Narrative 1 and MC 313 Documentary Filmmaking, a more structured narrativebased approach to filmmaking is the emphasis. But all forms of media rely to a greater or lesser degree on purely aesthetic or artistic elements in order to give the final product a certain feel, look, or style. For this reason, regardless of the type of filmmaking one wants to ultimately focus on, it is a good idea to explore the power of images, sound and composition. A feature of the course is looking at the work of various video artists and film directors. By seeing examples of their work we can grow in our appreciation of how images and sound can be put together in a way that induces powerful responses in an audience. Most artists and filmmakers find important sources of inspiration for their own work by examining the work of the masters in the field. We will also examine creative forms of film, animation and other media that are narrative and non-narrative based. Students will also work on their own creative filmmaking project. Various media can be incorporated into this project, such as video, still images, animation and music. It is through experimenting with various media that a director of films or other media finds a method of working or an aesthetic that will enhance their future work. Lab fee: $80. (8 credits) Prerequisites: MC 300, MC 282, and MC 284

Compositing, Animating and Color
This is an advanced level course that focuses on color grading, compositing (layering multiple images), animating (changing these layers so they fly, grow or fade over time), and all of the finishing touches that will make your video projects appear both polished and visually exciting. After in-class tutorials, students will apply these tools to any previous video project or new creative project of their conceiving. Projects might include, for example, creating a film look for your video with color grading, creating an animated opening credits sequence, creating customized Lower Thirds, or creating your own 3-D environment. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MC 284

Informing, Educating, and Transforming the World with a Vision of Unbounded Possibilities
This is a practical course, emphasizing hands-on production for radio and Web broadcasting. Student will research, write, record, produce and edit original radio projects. Students may work on journalistic or creative projects with a commercial or non-commercial orientation. They will develop on-air skills such as presenting, reporting, and interviewing. Sound is a powerful form of expression; through sound alone we can tell a story which moves an audience or takes them to another world by stimulating their imagination. The creative power as well as the story telling power of radio will therefore be fully explored in this course. A unique feature of this course is that it offers students the opportunity of broadcasting their radio projects on KRUU-FM. Lab fee $40. (4 credits)

Unlocking the Power of Light
Digital photography helps strengthen the connection between the photographer’s vision and the resulting images by providing nearly instant feedback and furnishing ever-subtler tools for self-expression. In this course, students learn foundational principles that underlie commercial digital photography, while using principles of consciousness to consolidate both the experience and understanding of digital photography. Topics include: mastering the digital camera, managing a digital workflow, color management in theory and practice, visualizing light and how to control it in the digital darkroom. Lab fee: $40. (1–4 credits)

In this photography course, students will be able to explorthe world’s most beautiful diverse landscapes, vibrant cultures, and spectacular wildlife. Students will spend one week at Maharishi University of Management learning or refining their knowledge of travel photography and videography. They will learn the fundamentals of technical, social, and physical skills that are necessary for a photography travel assignment. Then they will travel for two weeks to develop their photography skills. Using their digital lens, they will learn to capture the swirl of colors of the markets and the amazingly approachable animal. In the final week of post-production at Maharishi University of Management, students will create a showcase of their work as a preparation for a public presentation. Estimated additional cost: $2000. (2 or 4 credits. Non-full-time students may take the travel portion of the course for 2 credits. Full-time students are required to take the 4 credit course.)

This project-based class challenges students to employ every ounce of their creativity and apply their knowledge to finding solutions to the world’s most challenging problems, whether local or global, in the area of environmental sustainability, education, communications, or business. Each week we will connect with and learn from social entrepreneurs from around the world working in education, mobile technology, community development and so forth, and draw inspiration from their relentless vision and determination. Through the study of innovations in the social sector, we will develop an understanding of core principles and tactics of social change as well as the necessary leadership qualities of social entrepreneurs. Students will work individually or in groups to conceive of a social intervention of their own design. Students will present their plans, models and media to a committee to evaluate the potential of their work to create social change. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

Curving Back Onto My Own Nature, I Create Again and Again
In Creative Process, students study their own creative process as well as what artists, writers, and filmmakers have shared about creative inspiration. The purpose of this class is to break boundaries and rediscover an easy relationship with the inner Muse. The primary textbook is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. The Syllabus Reader contains material by a wide range of authors such as Annie Dillard, Jorge Luis Borges, Eudora Welty, Ann Patchett, Patricia Hampl, William Saroyan, John Ciardi, Frank Conroy, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, Earnest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, William Stafford, Rainer Maria Rilke, Lu Chi, Mark Strand, Jane Hirshfield, Billy Collins, Elizabeth Gilbert, plus interviews with great authors by Bill Moyers and material from creativity experts Anne Lamott and Natalie Goldberg. A variety of guest lecturers working in different media will come to the class to discuss their work, career paths, and creative process. Students will keep a daily journal and engage in various creative projects during the course. As a final project, students produce a portfolio and can choose to participate in a group installation/exhibit on creativity. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

From Blogs to Books
The last decade has seen a revolution in communication technology. This “new media” provides multiple channels for communication from the short Tweets and Facebook entries, through blogs, to online articles and electronic books. These new forms of electronic communication are easily available to everyone and have instant outreach to a worldwide audience. This course begins by investigating the transition from the “old media” outlets such as newspapers, magazines and printed books to the new opportunities for professional writers offered by the Internet and electronic media. The course provides an overview of how to maximize the message through each form of electronic media with an emphasis on maintaining grammatically correct and coherent communication throughout. Students will also learn how content can be used in many different ways and how short Tweets and blog entries can be accumulated and developed into articles that can then form the basis for full-length books. This is intended to be a practical course in which students submit their work at each stage of development by creating their own blogs, submitting articles to magazines and pitching their own book ideas to publishers. A chance to publish work through a local publisher will be offered for the best work produced by students. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

The Convergence of All Media Into a Unified Digital Format
Students undertake in-depth application of HTML and Cascading Style Sheets along with principles of design for dynamic media in the creation of a portfolio of beautiful, highly functional, standards-compliant, and highly usable Web pages. Topics include: creative approaches to Web design; XHTML syntax, tags, attributes, entities, DTDs and validation; HTML5 and CSS3; creating layers of meaning with color, type, and imagery; principles of usability for interactive media; using a visual lexicon for designer-client communication; examples of outstanding Web design studios; homesteading the noosphere. Lab fee: $40. (variable credits) Prerequisite: one of the following courses: MC 260, FA 361, or equivalent experience

Integrating Medium and Message
This course provides students with the basic practical knowledge and skills needed to create effective visual design using current and critical tools and techniques. Students focus on developing their graphic design skills for personal and professional usage using Photoshop and InDesign. Topics include: digital imaging and page layout tools; principles and elements of visual design; color theory, layout design; basic principles and history of typography; brand design; use of digital photography; and copyright law. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: basic computer skills

Integration of Form and Meaning
In this class, students will develop a command of the basics of visual communication by exploring the expressive potential of letterforms in a variety of projects dealing with typographic design for print, Web and video. Students will work on projects that combine typography, color, music, and motion. The first part of the course will investigate the history and development of typography within print and Web media. Students will learn how to create effective typography as an integral part of design within their media projects, and come to understand how type is an art form that not only relays information but key creative expression. In the last part of the course, students will explore motion graphics for video; dynamic typography in video will allow students to construct another powerful layer in this medium. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: basic computer skills

Connecting Every Part to the Whole
Students develop graphic design skills for online publishing usage. Learn about electronic publishing and the various viewing devices and publishing formats including ebooks and Folios for iPads. Students will create a digital magazine for iPads using Adobe InDesign and Digital Publishing Suite software. The course will explore DPS’s creative tools and design techniques. Students also learn how to create and professionally use Interactive PDFs with hyperlinks, article threads, and video. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits)

Making the Imagination Manifest
This is a capstone course in which individuals who have taken the courses in Media and Communications come together to envisage and then realize a set of core projects across a range of media. These projects are formulated among the student group with the aid of faculty members. The first stage of the course will be the generation of the project ideas, which can include ideas that utilize a range of media or ideas that are focused on a particular medium. The central goal of the course is for students to apply everything they have learned to these projects. It is a cooperative venture, so students will be involved in a variety of projects playing different roles on each one. You may be a director on a documentary, an actor in a drama feature, or a producer on a Web-based animation series. There is a wide range of possibilities. You imagine it and we will make it happen as a team. The idea is to produce great projects that get noticed. In addition, students undertake a research project in an area of their interest that culminates in a presentation to the class and a short essay on their research with properly cited sources. Lab fee: $40. (variable credits — may be repeated for credit) Prerequisites: MGT 200, MC 250, MC 300, and 12 credits in one of the four concentrations, or consent of instructor

Communicating from the Deepest Level
In this course, students have a chance to further develop their skills, their understanding, and their portfolio by completing advanced media projects in video, Web design, graphic design, music and/or professional writing. Students may also work on a research essay in the field of their study in order to further develop their critical thinking and research skills. Lab fee: $40. (2–4 credits — may be repeated for credit) Prerequisite: MC 380 or consent of Media and Communications faculty

Integration of Knowledge and Action for Achievement and Fulfillment
Students gain practical experience working for a commercial or nonprofit organization in a communications or media related field, such as video production, film production, radio broadcasting, Web design, graphic design, advertising, public relations, or journalism. Students document their growth in understanding and experience in journals. Fieldwork must be completed at least two months before graduation. (variable credits) Prerequisites: major in Media and Communications and consent of the Media and Communications faculty

The Quest for the Essential Truths of Human Existence
This course will go deeper into some of the key aspects of narrative. It will also be more like a writer’s workshop. This means there will be time to develop ideas, novels or scripts that a writer is working on or wants to begin during the course. We will be having lectures from writers and other speakers in the business who will share their expertise with us. The course will also introduce the element of performance. Those students who wish to can learn how to perform their work or the work of others. This helps with understanding how the written word becomes a performance. The performance part of the course is optional for students. Key aspects that we will go deeper into are: developing characters, style, plot development, genre, symbolism, and improving our chances of being published. The profound connection between writing and development of consciousness will also be explored. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MC 300

Preparation for Action
In this class, students join the key production team during the pre-production phase of a feature-length film. They help design and create sets, costumes and props, or assist in the essential organization of location scouting, scheduling and budget management. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: invitation by faculty

Creating Unity from Diversity
In this class, students assist in video editing, sound mixing, scoring, special effects, and colorization as a member of the post-production team of a feature-length film. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: invitation by faculty

Realizing Your Vision From the Deepest Level
In this course, students will learn to use the RED ONE camera, a digital camera with image resolution high enough to be used for shooting cinema release feature films. Students who complete this course at a high level of achievement will receive a RED ONE certificate that means it is possible for them to use the camera in designated RED ONE production classes and projects. There are high standards for this class, and students will need to demonstrate competence and reliability in order to get this certificate. Students will also learn how to shoot with a professional digital camera. This means learning how to compose shots. What are the different ways filmographers can shoot a dramatic scene? What is the best way to shoot a documentary? Students will learn all the different types of shots. The class will also look at the work of different directors and see how they go about filming their subjects. This course and its certification will be a boon for students when applying for jobs or advancing their careers. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisites: MC 282 and MC 285, or consent of the Media and Communications faculty

Illuminating Scenes with Meaning and Subtle Nuance
Students in this class deepen their skills using the RED ONE camera with a particular emphasis on using lighting and exposure to enhance the expressive power and subtlety of each scene. The class will center around video production projects that include in-depth exploration of the qualities of light, placement and filtering of light sources, 3-point lighting, and other lighting strategies. Students who complete this course at a very high level of achievement will receive an additional certificate marking their achievement with the RED ONE camera. Lab fee: $40. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MC 287, or consent of the Media and Communications faculty

Expressing the Deepest Values of Life
This is a capstone course in which students work in teams or individually on media projects that use the RED ONE camera and that contribute significantly to their portfolio. The central goal of the course is for students to apply everything they have learned to these projects. This can be a cooperative venture, so students can be involved in a variety of projects playing different roles on each one. The idea is to produce great projects that get noticed. In addition students undertake a research project in an area of their interest that culminates in an essay on their research with properly cited sources, and a presentation to the class. Students who complete this course at a very high level of achievement will receive an additional certificate marking their achievement with the RED ONE camera. This course can substitute for MC 380 in fulfilling requirements for the BA in Media and Communications. Lab fee: $40. (variable credits) Prerequisite: consent of the Media and Communications faculty